10 Fun Facts About Dolphins

Spinner dolphin sightings are common on our Lanai snorkel tours. We’ll take you to areas off Lanai’s gorgeous coastline that dolphin pods tend to favor. These charismatic marine mammals are known throughout the world as some of the smartest and most playful creatures on Earth. In fact, there are a number of fascinating things about dolphins, and it seems like marine scientists are always discovering new surprising facts about them. How many of the following fun facts do you know?

1. Scientists have discovered that dolphins give themselves names, which are communicated through their own unique whistles in a way that other dolphins are proven to recognize.

2. The two halves of a dolphin’s brain take turns sleeping. This mean’s they’re only ever half asleep, and this helps keep them safe from predators, while also allowing them to breathe when necessary.

3. Another one of their dualistic qualities is their pair of stomachs. They have one for storing food, and another for digesting food.

4. Dolphins can dive to depths of up to 1,000 feet, usually in search of prey.

5. The duration of a dolphin’s pregnancy ranges from 9 to 17 months, depending on the species, and babies stay with their caring mothers for 3 to 8 years.

6. Their skin is extremely delicate, but even the deepest wounds heal with amazing speed, a quality that we humans would surely appreciate!

7. Highly social creatures, dolphins have been observed tending to the sick, old and injured members of their pods.

8. Their eyesight is powerful both in and out of the water, their sense of touch is well developed, and they can hear frequencies 10 times higher than adult humans can, but they lack any sense of smell.

9. After humans, dolphins have the largest brains in relation to their bodies.

10. While their average lifespan is estimated at around 17 years, some have been documented at 50 years of age!

One last fun fact is that some dolphins can swim up to 20 miles per hour, which is pretty impressive! Here in Hawaii, spinner dolphins give us quite a show with their signature corkscrew spinning in the air when they come shooting up out of the water. Spinners are small for dolphins, but what they lack in size, they make up for with big personalities! If you love dolphins, we hope you’ll join us aboard a Lanai snorkeling tour to see some in their natural Hawaiian habitat. If you have any questions, you’ll find our contact information at the bottom of the page. Mahalo!